Saturday, May 23, 2009

Back to Normal Service

HA!

Whatever *that* is!

So, the plan for half term is to complete reports, mark SATs, and clean the house, getting rid of stuff as we go. We really do accumulate stuff over the winter! We're also going to be in a position to deal with the garden as well, as we now have a brown bin to put the waste in.

AC is here on Monday, and on Thursday, so we'll all go out those days. R has to work, but he's on lates so hopefully that's not going to be too late and does give us the morning together. We'll go and feed ducks and play at the park and so on. Nothing amazing.

AC has decided he wants to be off of scheme books and onto being a free reader by the time school finishes. That's his target, not mine. He wants to go up to Y2 as a free reader because then he can choose his own books and they need not be boring ones. I think we'll give him a book budget, and he can start to take responsibility for choosing his own level as well, and we'll restart going to the library and so on. That will be easier because we will no longer have KSW on a Monday so that will go back to being a lovely relaxed day again. It will mean his father has to take him on a Wednesday and a Friday to start with, and then just one of those and to his Saturday sparring class, but we'll see how all that works out. His father still hasn't got a job, and when he does no doubt everything will change anyway!

We are nothing if not flexible!

And I did get the information from the She-Ex in the end. They've been reading, they've been writing letters in the bath and in the garden, and surprise surprise, her reading is getting better! Shock horror! Now think where BG could have been with this little input every night for the last 2 years? Or with actually doing her homework at home, instead of with her teacher at a playtime a week (missing out vital social skills, but as a teacher, I'd have sacrificed 1 of my breaks a week to help a struggling child like BG as well) Her teacher has done amazingly well, and is a wonderful woman. We enjoy talking to her and she is always so positive about BG, but without glossing over the problems.

However, looking ahead, and looking forward, the She-Ex and BG are doing work at home. I'm looking forward to seeing the evidence of this, not because I don't trust the She-Ex to be honest, but because it would be nice to see the progress. Maybe this year, we'll actually get a Fathers Day card that BG has written.

2 comments:

Ah. He's Year 1 at the moment, so he's about to be 6 years old. It's still a good goal, considering I teach 7/8/9 year olds and of 30 less than 50% are free readers.

We think we're going to put x amount on a gift card for him each month and let him choose whichever books he would like with it, (with some guidance! lol!) and that way he'll be getting some ownership and responsibility over his learning.

Just so you know.....

I'm from England - so some of the words I use are different to some of the American words. If you're stuck or confused, just leave a comment and ask!

A little translation -

AC - my Adorable Child, boy, age 12.J - my wonderful fiancé, who has hugged my broken heart back into one piece, and loves the AC who loves him back.

T-boy - J's son, age 14.

Rich - my then fiancé who was killed in July '09BG - Beautiful Girl, Rich's daughter and my stepdaughter, who never saw her father again after her mother chose to take her away to the States at 3 years old in '05.She-Ex - BG's mother. R's ex.He-Ex - the ACs father. My ex.

Frank, Errol and Kevin are cats.

Anyone else I'll add as I come across them, or leave me a comment and I'll explain!